Moment of Truth
by Blessed Are The Sick
Summary: In which you'll find a harrowing tale of rogues and rascals, deviants and degenerates, and unfortunates and undesirables, all revolving around a certain escaped princess; naturally, our heroine, Jun, finds herself smack dab in the middle of it.
1. Prologue: All I've Done

_a/n: i wasn't going to release this but, fuck it, what's the harm? i figure that i'm never really going to work on it unless I have some push to do so. __well, here's the push. __i'll just have to deal with the consequences later on. _

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><p><strong>Moment Of Truth<strong>

_Prologue: All I've Done_

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><p><em>It's like my wetnurse used to say: sometimes, a mother has to sacrifice her personal happiness for the greater good. If you can't, well, then I suppose you can't call yourself a mother in good conscience. <em>

_ It's a duty, a responsibility that you can't really appreciate until you've become a mother. All the time, you'll hear people say that they'd cut limbs off for their children, but the truth is, until your arm is under the knife, you don't know how you'll react. Saying isn't doing. You don't know what you'll do, or how far you'll go, until it's your child that's about to be shipped down the river. _

_ Who would've thought that, on this very night, my arm would be under the knife? _

_ This will, excluding any acts of divine providence, be my last entry. There's nothing more I can do or say in order to change the situation; all the pieces have been laid on the board. My name will be stained for all time. Plays will be written about my treachery. Honestly, I couldn't care less. As long as my child has a chance at life, there really isn't any extreme I wouldn't go to. That's what a mother does. She protects and provides for her children, no matter the cost. _

_ My son, if you ever happen to read this, know that all I've done this night, I've done for you. You've always been headstrong, willful, and you've always done your absolute best. The next few years will be hard for you, I know, but I know that you won't lose your way. I believe in you, even if you don't believe in yourself. I hope that you grow into the Prince you were always destined to be, a man that sticks by his principles, no matter the cost. _

_ My daughter, if you ever happen to be reading this, I want to apologize. Most likely, I wasn't there as much for you as much as I should have been. I hope that you will grow up into a beautiful young lady, both inside and out. And I hope that, one day, you realize that all the intelligence and talent in the world won't help you if you don't have your heart behind it. But, most importantly, I want you to know that no matter what you do, no matter how far you fall, no matter how much you stray, I will never stop loving you. _

_ And, no matter what may happen, I promise not to lose myself either. I will always be there, for the both of you. I will live, in hopes that, one day, I'll be able to see you again. _


	2. Undercurrent I

**Moment of Truth**

_/Undercurrent I_

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><p><em>A moment like this, for Jun, came around<em> about as often as decent men. An exhilarating, intoxicating blend of terror, adrenaline, and glee; a mere razor's edge from death. The world seemed to move in slow tumbled leisurely on the wind, as fists and feet glided through the air. And then, with as much as warning as a rainstorm, it ended.

The knife sang, slicing through the space just above Jun's nose.

Jun popped up. She flicked the tip of her whip towards the man, the leather coiling around the hilt of his blade. With a flick of Jun's wrist, the knife popped out of his hand, bright sunlight glinting off the blade as it bounced against the dirt. She lunged. Her fist lurched back, and flew forward, implanting itself squarely into the man's nose. He wheeled back as Jun planted her sole into his chest, dropping him to the ground.

"Give up?" Jun hadn't much chance to look the man over, between dodging blades and fists. A scruffy man, who was fruitlessly searching his tattered clothing for additional weapons. "The chances of you winning this fight aren't looking too good, to be honest."

"Go to ― !"

Jun stepped on his mouth. "Watch it."

"_Mmmh mmh mmmmh mh!"_

"Hmph." She put two fingers to her mouth, and blew. A hedge of bushes russled, snorted, and then gave way to a mountain of fur. A slobbering, long-snouted, hairy beast. The meanest thing on four legs. "Nyla, here girl."

_"MMH! Mmh mmmh MMH mmmmh! Mmmmmmh!"_

Jun gently rubbed Nyla's snout. "You know what to do, girl."

_"Mmmmmmmh!"_

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><p><em>"...and make sure you're thorough. They'll be suspicious if you're too pointed, but if you're too vague, they won't give you an answer at all. Oh, and do try not to kill anyone this time. The Earth Kingdom authorities will only blame it on random bandits and thieves so many times before it starts leaving a trail."<em>

_ "Oh, my lady is so precise. This one wonders how she even manages to pick her clothes out in such a timely manner."_

_ "This is dangerous business, in case you haven't noticed." She lit a flame atop her finger. "We can't afford to be even a hair out of place."_

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><p>Squares were hard to come by in the Hsu Shin provinces. After the Fire Nation went belly-up, most of the coal mining operations went out of business, effectively kicking all of the males in the province on their collective behinds. For all the complaining and whining about being oppressed by the Fire Nation, Jun found it that those same people were wishing for them back, if only to have a few coins in the pocket. The Hsu Shin provinces were famous for being utterly devoid of any resources that would be useful to the re-galvanized Earth Kingdom. Farms? Too arid. Ore? Fire Nation took most of it. And Jun wasn't solely talking about tradeable resources. Little, scarely needed amenities like <em>food <em>and _water _were crossed off the list too.

As Jun rode through a small town on the edge of the Hsu Shin, she couldn't help but hear a chord of pity play through her mind. Nyla would snap at the townsfolk every so often, who wore dusty, vaguely green rags, with shoes that had been worn down to strips of leather hugging their soles. Jun felt a little sorry for not placing a spare coin into their hands. A little.

The town was little more than a rabble of earthen buildings, huddling around an Earth Kingdom outpost like frightened cubs at the paw of a mother mooselion. With the departure of Fire Nation forces, it was arguably one of the most pointless towns that Jun had seen in a while. Even now, dust blew in from the Great Desert, casting a light, dirty brown fog over the streets. The dust wouldn't ruffle Nyla's fur, but Jun was having a hard time adapting. She'd ripped a piece of her clothing off, cut two holes it, and wrapped it around her head, but the occasional piece of dust would still fly into her eye. And with a bounty strapped to Nyla's back, Jun was more than a little uneasy with the sudden lack of vision.

A caravan of wagons were set up in the town's center,; sandbenders selling foods, distilled water, and clothing. Jun would be inclined to join them if their ideals about gender roles weren't locked in Yangchen's era; they made a killing selling supplies to poor frontier towns. Townsfolk swarmed them, counting beaten and worn coins into their hands as sandbenders stood on top of wooden crates, shouting out prices. To their credit, the sandbenders didn't try to take advantage of the townsfolk, as the prices were reasonable enough. Ten squares for a jug of water, twenty for live poultry.

The people parted as Nyla waded through the crowd, her snout acting as the bow. Jun always had reservations about navigating crowds with Nyla. She'd trained the Shirshu well enough to keep her tongue inside her mouth, but Nyla was an unpredictable beast. Nyla hated crowds, loud noises, and would attack with little or no provocation. So, in a sense, the Shirshu was exactly like Jun. That was why they got along so well.

For example, a heavy-set man had bumped into Nyla's snout not two seconds ago. If the man had bumped into Jun, she would have yelled at him. Probably an insult that cleverly combined his weight with his lack of attentiveness, something like a _'fat bastard' _with _'you got a pair of eyes don't you? Use 'em!' _thrown on top. Nyla didn't have the option of verbalizing her disgust into words, but a well-timed growl had the man running off into the distance just as well.

Unfortunately, Nyla didn't realize the meaning of little issues like _'laws' _and _'fines'_. Namely, the ones pertaining to _'not whipping people on legs with poisonous tongues' _and _'carries a fee of 150 coins'_. The authorities called it Nyla Clause. Jun wished she was making this up.

Nyla lumbered up to the entrance of the Earth Kingdom outpost, sinking to her belly. Jun jumped off, starting to unbuckle the straps. The straps kept him spread-eagle across Nyla's back; the legs shared two ropes, as did the arms, all of which were buckled to the appendage, tightly looped under Nyla's belly, and wrapped back around and buckled to the otherside. She'd lost one at the door of a Fire Nation station; the army stationed there managed to re-capture him, but wiggled themselves out of paying Jun her dues in the process, redefining the meaning of 'capture' to include being within the doors of the station.

"Alright," Jun slung the man around, turning him towards the outpost. "here's what's going to happen. We're going to walk into this building nice and slow, and I'm going to hand you off to the guards, and get my money. If you interfere with any part of this process, your face is going to become personally acquainted with the inside of my Shirshu's mouth. Either way, I still get paid. Understand?"

Nyla lashed her tongue out a bug flying around the end of her snout, turned her head towards the bounty, and gave a low growl.

"Understand?"

The bounty nodded.

"Good." Jun pushed him towards the outpost. "Walk."

She gave a nod to the guards as she walked through the metal doors of the outpost. Most Earth Kingdom outposts didn't even _have _doors. Guards would bend an entrance open. Obviously, a building with no visible entrance was harder to siege, and a group of creative Earthbenders could turn the door itself into a weapon, or even a trap.

"Hey," Jun kicked the bounty over the reception table, his head smacking into the wood. She always liked to make a nice entrance. "wrangled up a bounty for you. Where do I collect my money?"

The receptionist stared at the head slobbering over her paperwork, and then looked up at Jun with dull eyes, as if people were knocked over his table on a daily basis. "Name?"

"Jun."

"The _bounty's _name."

"Chang Yung. Wanted for breaking, entering, thievery, and generally being an unpleasant nuisance. Guy's knocked over more houses than a typhoon on the western rim."

The receptionist, after pushing Chang's head to the side, dipped her quill into an inkwell, and wrote down some information onto her notepad. "You should consider joining the army, Jun. With all the folks you've captured, you'd make corporal easy."

"Women aren't allowed to join."

"I know. It was a joke." She pressed a slip of paper into Jun's face. "Here."

Jun narrowed her eyes. "I don't take IOUs."

"It's more of a they-O-U, actually. With interest."

She cocked her head to the side, smirking. "My pockets are getting a little too light for comfort. I need squares, _here_ and _now." _She punctuated her words by jabbing her index into the table.

"We're running low on funds as it is, Ms. Jun. Either we pay you, or one of our boys doesn't eat tonight."

"Does it look like I care?"

"You will once you hear my offer." She cradled his chin on the tips of his fingers. "Transport one of our prisoners to a secure holding facility. Pays three-thousand squares. Even."

"You're joking."

"Not this time."

Jun rubbed her chin, mulling it over. If she took the offer, then Nyla's diet might take a severe kickback for a few days. And Nyla wouldn't work without some feed in her belly. Jun had learned that the hard way during one of her trips to Ba Sing Se. The Shirshu plopped down right in the middle of a street of the commoner's district, refusing to budge. And since Jun's pockets were practically worn through at the time, she had to scavenge and beg in order to fill Nyla's stomach.

On the other hand, three-thousand squares was a hard sum to ignore. And Jun was in desperate need of a new set of boots, as well as a fresh set of clothing. For five-hundred squares alone, she'd be able to afford the only doctor in Ba Sing Se with good ― or crazy ― enough to give Nyla a check-up. Maybe they'd clean all the ticks off of her for a hundred extra.

In the end, Jun couldn't deny the promise of extra squares, no matter how ludicrous. Call it a weakness. "Give me a hot and a cot for tonight, and some feed for Nyla, and you've got a deal."

"The inns are full, unless you feel like throwing some sandbenders out on the street. Only cots available are here, and you'll have to share a room with the soldiers."

"Fine." Most of the soldiers around here knew not to mess with Jun anyway. Eunuchs weren't too popular around these parts. She reached over, offering her hand to cement the deal. "It better be lice free."

The receptionist took Jun's hand with a hard _slap, _a grin stretched across her face. "No guarantees, Miss Jun."

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><p><em><span>Jojo The Kissing Bandit:<span>_

_ Joi Joung, otherwise known as Jojo the Kissing Bandit, is wanted across the Hsu Shin Province for the crimes of breaking and entering, as well as possession of stolen property. Known for leaving lipstick kisses on the cheeks of her male ― and occasionally female ― victims. Is estimated to have stolen around sixty thousand EKCs in goods. _

_ Jojo was last seen around the Brim. Be advised: Bounty hunters who are unfamiliar with the bending arts are not advised to pursue. Jojo is an experienced earthbender, and is to be considered extremely dangerous._

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><p>"That's not true!" Jojo stomped her foot against the ground, her lips puckering. "He's lying! Liar! You...you b-big person who lies!"<p>

Outside of Jojo's cell, the guards were discussing her next prison arrangements; one of them, the big, dopey lummox with the walnut-shaped nose named Jung, was recounting Jojo's latest exploits to the others. She didn't steal _all _of the jewelry from the Bei Fongs. There was a perfectly nice, dusty necklace that she left in the lady's jewelry box. True, it was a little rusty, but it was nothing a little elbow grease couldn't take care of. Seriously, they should've been _amazed _that Jojo was able to steal anything at all from them.

"Well," Jung said, ignoring Jojo entirely. "it's certainly a pleasure to have one of Lao Bei Fong's best trackers on the case. We wouldn't have caught her without your help."

Jojo smirked. Jung's part in her capture didn't consist of anything other than carrying the tracker's equipment, who was so _inhuman _that he probably could've carried it all in one hand while stringing Jojo up by the other. Usually, Jojo didn't have to worry about being followed, but she was pretty confident in her ability to throw any of her tails off-course. But this guy...he'd chased Jojo across half the Earth Kingdom. Jojo was either lucky to have made it this long, or had been toyed with the entire time.

With metal straps around her arms, and chains locked tight around her ankles, Jojo didn't see any means of escape. If her feet had a little room to breathe, she _might _be able to knock Jung against the cell, and disorient the tracker for a few seconds, giving Jojo enough time to grab the keys from Jung's belt with her teeth. And then..._oooh, _Jojo was practically salivating over the options.

"As you can see," Jung gestured towards Jojo, "the suspect in question in completely unrepentant, and, furthermore, a hazard to anyone around her." he tugged at the straps of his coat. "I don't think we'll have any trouble at all convicting her when she goes against the Royal Court."

"The _Royal Court?_," Jojo said, seething. "C'mon! Isn't that a little...much?"

"You stole from the _Bei Fong _estate," the tracker said. "and scores of other families across the Earth Kingdom. Be grateful that you're getting a trial at all."

Jojo couldn't deny her crimes, but still, the _Royal Court? _They wouldn't spare her a second glance before passing sentence. "Why not just keep me here? It would save you a lot of trouble, since the Royal Court's just gonna lock me up anyway."

"This isn't a dedicated prison, Miss Joung. Just a pit-stop until you can be transferred to another facility" The tracker turned towards the door, a haggard smile crossing his face. "Besides, this poor little building can barely contain your mouth, much less the rest of you."

"Why you!"

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><p><em>"Jun."<em>

_Jun's father wasn't much for talking. Most of their business, from saddling up the ostrich horses to whetting the swords, was conducted with the wordless certainty of a monk ritual. So, whenever her father actually cleared out the dust in his throat to speak, Jun listened with rapt attention, dropping whatever she was doing so that no part of the message was lost._

_ This time, it was a hammer that was dropped. On her foot. _

_ "Jun," Father ignored Jun's pained yelp, turning back towards his forge. "you must have heard the conversation between me and our latest client."_

_ Fighting the pain, Jun leaned into a chair by the workbench, wrapping her cold fingers around the afflicted area. "Wasn't much of a conversation, Dad. More of a shouting match."_

_ Jun received a agreeable grunt in response, barely audible over the sharp, ringing strike of his hammer over the cool blade. "Aye."_

_ "You should've socked him one. Callin' you a lowlife pig." Jun pucked her lips, her voice dropping. "Ain't right."_

_ "If only it were that easy." Though she wasn't sure, Jun swore she spied the corner of Dad's lip tugging upwards into a smile. "Whatever you end up doing, Jun, don't get down on yourself when some noble with his britches shoved too far up his ass spits on you for doing an honest day's work. Ain't nothing wrong with what we do. Don't you ever forget that."_

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><p>"Sounds like some piece of work." Jun stuffed a piece of bread into her mouth, swallowed, then dove straight into the noodles on her plate. "Knocking over the Bei Fong estate? That's damn near suicidal."<p>

The receptionist, Bau, eyed Jun curiously as she mowed through her food. Whether her interest was piqued because of Jun's statement, or her eating habits, she couldn't tell. Probably both. "I didn't think ol' Lao was particularly security conscious."

"Are you kidding? The Bei Fong's guard is pretty much an army in itself. There's enough of them to subcontract men out to the local guard. That's a _subcontract _of a _subcontract, _mind you. Lao doesn't hire his own guys. Isn't even involved in the process beyond the final selections." Jun waved towards the passing bartender, pointing towards the remaining noodles on her plate. He nodded, hurrying off to the kitchens to fill Jun's rapidly growing appetite. She hadn't eaten a good meal in so long that she, and her stomach, had forgotten what true hunger was. Half-starvation and a full stomach became one in the same. "Lao Bei Fong makes a good amount of change selling his men off to do various odd-jobs."

"A subcontract of a subcontract? Why don't they just go off and work for the other guy?"

"Well, it's not like Lao's not paying his guard anything. See, whenever he sends one of his guards out, they get about half of the side job, in addition to three-quarters of their normal pay. He keeps his guys loyal, too. I mean, unless you're expecting an invitation from the Earth King himself, it's not like you're going to find a better gig."

"You worked for him before?" Bau asked.

Jun shook her head. "I tried once. Lao thought I had anger issues." She noticed a fly, half-smothered in soy sauce, struggling for breath right smack in the middle of the tray of noodles that the waiter had just laid down. Picking it up with her chopsticks, Jun flung it towards him.

Bau smirked, watching the waiter scurry away like a frightened mouse. "Lao must be crazy."

"That's what I said!" Jun spoke between mouthfuls of noodles, her words slurred. "Anyway, whoever this Jojo girl is, she's lucky she wasn't caught, or worse. Lao gets a lot of war vets in his squad, and it's kill on sight with those guys. They aren't supposed to kill, of course, but old habits die hard."

For what Jun knew of Bau, she wasn't the kind of girl who betrayed her thoughts easily. But, for once, Jun saw her near-perpetual frown loosen. "Perhaps, if all goes well, I'll shoot a recommendation over to the Bei Fong estate."

"Please. I wouldn't work for that stuck-up old tightwad if he offered the King's supposedly golden balls up on a platter. Besides, I wouldn't expect a piece of paper from Sandheap, Hsu Shin to get little more than a glance over, if that." Jun lifted her mug to her lips, drank, and slammed it down, baying as if she had just won a drinking contest. "Poppy was quaking at the very sight of me. Doesn't like my kind, apparently."

"Your kind?"

"You know, lowlifes."

"Oh." Bau titled her forehead towards Jun. "You sound more than a little bitter about it."

Jun shrugged. "I don't know, it just gets to you sometimes, you know? Whenever someone asks my Grandma about me, she tells 'em that I'm being held captive as a prisoner of war by the Fire Nation. She used to let it slip about my bounty hunting, and they'd look at her like I'd taken a piss on the Earth King's throne or something."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Jun. You're one of the most respected bounty hunters out there, and you've always been nothing but a help in my books, if that counts for anything."

"Most respected bounty hunter? That's a little like being the richest peasant in the Lower Ring, isn't it?"

Bau sighed. "You're impossible."

"Cynicism comes with the territory," Jun said. "Speaking of, this must be a hell of a job if you're treating me to a meal this nice, Bau."

"Jojo's notoriously slippery, yes. Captured twice, escaped twice. Always manages to get caught far enough from Ba Sing Se to escape the King's justice." Bau's lips tersed, her eyes rolling. "You'd think they'd hang her and be done with it...but, as long as the King's royal ass is sitting in Ba Sing Se, so will his justice will be carried out under his eye."

"Doesn't make a difference to me. More distance, more squares."

"Nevertheless, you can't let Jojo out of your sight for a second. You eat together, you sleep together, and you piss together." Bau took an idle pair of chopsticks, and started poking at Jun's plate, her words punctuated by harsh jabs into the air. "Climb a tree, tie her to the branches, and hang a barrel between her legs if you have to. Just keep her controlled."

"I should just let Nyla sit on her. She's been aching for another chew toy."

"Nyla can pick her teeth with the girl for all I care, as long as she's still breathing when she faces the Royal Court." Bau stood, straightening her robes. "Well, I must be off. I'll tell the soldiers to save you a bed."

"C'mon, you've hardly eaten anything. Stay a little while."

"I'd love to, but my little sandheap needs attending to." Bau started to walk out, then stopped, catching Jun's gaze out of the corner of her eye. "Oh, and Jun? Be careful."

"I'll keep her leash short, Bau. You don't have to keep telling me."

"I'm not talking about Jojo." Her right hand tensed, while the other fidgeted uncomfortably alongside her hip. "All I can say is...Jojo's notoriety isn't the only reason the bounty's so high."


	3. Undercurrent II

_a/n: so as it turns out, the Earth Kingdom does allow women into the army to some extent. seriously, check out the scene in __the spirit world: winter solstice (s1e7) where Zuko kicks the boulder that the guards were gonna use to __smash Iroh's hands. compare the two guards_**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Moment of Truth<strong>

_/Undercurrent II_

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><p><em> "Burnt to a crisp." <em>

_ Just wasn't anything like anything like it. Sure, with folks shootin' off fireworks all over the Earth Kingdom, wherever people were drunk and stupid, there were bound to be a few fires. But at an auction house, and one smack dab in the middle of Sheong, at that? Only people who hung out here were...well, nobles and more nobles. Unless arson was some rich kid's idea of a good time, Hui didn't have a clue about this one. _

_ The air around the auction house smelled of ash and smoke, so much so that Hui could practically taste it on the tip of his tongue; seemed like everything about this case had an odd smell to it. His higher-ups hadn't said do much other than to 'investigate Sheong.' No suspicions, no briefing, no nothing. Hui was a tracker for the Palace, for the Earth King himself. If they couldn't tell their trackers about it, who could they?_

_ "Hey, Lei." Hui asked, turning towards his partner. "Don't suppose you have any ideas?_

_ Lei snorted, casually kicking an old table on its side. "The hell's that supposed to mean? Of course I got ideas." _

_ "Well?"_

_ "It's the Fire Nation. They're back with a vengeance."_

_ Hui stifled a laugh, not wanting to breathe in any of the ash-stained air. "You should write copper novels, Lei."_

_ "I ain't joking. How else you explain a fire breakin' out in the middle of nowhere. We been searchin' through this heap all day, and we ain't found nothin' but cinders. No matches, no torches, no fireworks. It was firebenders, no doubt about it."_

_ "Lei, if a hazel-eye strolled into the middle of Sheong, these old nobles would beat him black and blue and send him back on the first boat smokin' back to the Fire Nation."_

_ "I'm serious, Hui!"_

_ "Yeah, I believe you. Serious about getting out of work." Hui noticed Lei staring into the ground. Damn, guess he'd gone a little too far. "Look, I know firebenders burnt your grandfather's home down, but ― "_

_ "The hell are you talkin' about, Hui? I don't care about that crotchedy old man." Lei pointed towards a piece of wood in front of him, a tile from the second floor, which turned out to have an unburnt circle right in the middle of it― well, oval ― around the size of a plate. "You ever see any arsonist that could do that?"_

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><p>"So, you're my new traveling partner? You're so cute! Hm...Jun. Junie Jun. How do you like the sound of Junie, Junie?"<p>

Jojo was hardly the face of evil that Jun was expecting. Brown-haired, with big, green eyes and a well-rounded body,_ Jojo the Kissing Bandit_ seemed nothing more than an average teenaged girl. Jojo kept making friendly commentary, but Jun couldn't help noticing the way she attempted to wiggle out of her restraints, her hands fingering for loopholes in the rope like the legs of a panicking spider. Add in the four Earth Kingdom soldiers standing by her side ― instead of the usual two ― and you arrived at the sum of one edgy Jun.

"The restraints on her hands are not to come off at any time." One of the guards took the liberty of explaining the more obvious points of prisoner transfer to Jun. "Underneath the rope," he turned Jojo to the side, sliding a section of rope out of the way, revealing a glistening silver below. "are steel restraints. Again, these are not to come off."

Jun looked the restraints over, smirking. "I couldn't get those things off if I wanted to."

"Sorry. I'm required by law to explain the procedure." He took a key from his pocket, twisting it into one of the keyholes on her restraints. The chains connecting her cuffs slacked a bit. Then, as Jung approached Jun, he palmed the key into her hand, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Her chains can be loosened if you wish, but I'd highly recommend against it."

"I can _hear _you whispering!" Jojo rolled her eyes. "You're stiffer in uniform than you are in bed, Jung. I would've gotten more response out of a wooden block." She slung her head towards Jun's direction. "Isn't it a shame, Junie? Can't even sleep your way out of a jail cell anymore."

Jung flushed, clearing his throat while promptly sliding a few feet away from Jojo. "Anyway, you'll be meeting with an Earth Kingdom officer by the name of Borba in Sheong. You'll transfer Jojo to him, and she'll be taken to a secure facility in Ba Sing Se. Any questions?"

"_I _have a question," Jojo said.

"Prisoners aren't allowed questions." Jung pushed Jojo towards Jun with a firm hand. "You'll receive your payment if you deliver Jojo safely."

"Emphasis on _if._" Jojo batted her eyelids. "But I'm sure Junie's up to the job."

Charm didn't usually work on Jun, but Jojo didn't seem to be doing it in order to get a lesser sentence. It still wasn't working, of course. Just a nice change of pace. "If you call me Junie again, Nyla's going to end up with a scrawny little chewtoy to take along for the trip. Understand?"

Jojo pouted. "I'm not scrawny."

"Whatever." Jun took a knife from her boot, slicing a piece of cloth from Jojo's sleeve. She couldn't help noticing Jojo's eyes light up when she pulled the knife. "Jung and pals, tie her up onto Nyla's back. There's buckles and straps on the underside of Nyla's belly."

Nyla snapped around, growling at the guards, as if daring them to approach her. Raising her whip, Jun cracked the leather across Nyla's neck. The growling subsided, replaced by a low rumble in Nyla's throat.

"Don't worry," Jun said. "Nyla doesn't have a taste for Earth Kingdom stiffs. Too gritty." As a warning, she snapped the whip above Nyla's face; the Shirshu, wisely, laid down, allowing the guards start tying Jojo onto Nyla's back. "I'll probably have Jojo in custody by― "

_"Stop right there!"_

Jun turned, spying a crowd of people rapidly approaching the holding grounds. One man, who held a piece of paper clenched in his tightly clenched hand, led them. Jun motioned for the guards to continue tying Jojo up, carefully watching the oncoming commotion.

At first, Jun assumed him to be a local noble who had his kid in the lock-up. She'd seen about two teenagers during her rounds of the jail who'd fit he bill. But, the thing was, there _weren't _any nobles around these parts. Oh sure, there were a few folks who were richer than everyone else, who acted like their families were of some worth. Truth was, the difference between them and all the other low-folk wasn't much more than a golden knob over a brass knob. Most nobles wouldn't even spare a glance on 'em.

The guy walking towards Jun ― from his dignified gait, despite his anger, to the clothes on his back ― he was old money to the bone. His hair tied into a top-knot, and wearing a golden robe with a boar sown into the fabric, Jun would've thought him to be Lao Bei Fong himself if she didn't know any better. Why would Lao come to some dusty, backwater town in his own royal person?

"By the order of the Earth Kingdom government," the person who was looking increasingly like Lao Bei Fong said. "the criminal Joi Joung is to be transferred into the custody of the Bei Fong's personally appointed prisoner transfer unit," He stopped in front of Jun, jabbing his finger into her face. "to be enacted _immediately._"

Jun arched her eyebrow. "The hell are you talking about?"

"It means," he said, in a slow, drawn out voice indicating that Jun was quite the simpleton. "that _your_ charge is now in _my _possession. I will not have her lost for a third time, especially at the hands of some catch-penny bounty hunter."

Jojo yelled, no doubt giving the guard carrying her onto Nyla's back a sharp earache. _"Hey! Mr. Bei Fong! Tell Poppy I said hi!" _

Ignoring Jojo, though not without a considerable flush across his face, Lao shoved the paper towards Jun. "Look, just hand the culprit over. I have an official document, which instructs you to give the prisoner over to me for safe-keeping."

Jun quickly read over the paper. "This was issued by order of the Tsu-San province, was it?"

"Yes, in fact, it was."

"This here's the Hsu-Shin provinces." Crumpling the paper in one hand, Jun let it drop to her feet. "What you've got is a rusty piece of paper."

"Excuse me, but the authority of the Tsu-San Province ― "

Jun held up a hand. "Stops at the Tsu-San border without official paperwork. You'll have to inquire about it with the Province Dispute office in Ba Sing Se. It'll take a day to reach by bird, two if you ride, and, if you're lucky, a week for someone to even _look _over your request."

Looking over her shoulder, Jun noticed Jojo tightly secured onto Nyla's back. Her que to leave. "Of course, by then Jojo will be turned in, and I'll have my money. " She cocked a finger at Lao, throwing him a wink. "Better get started."

"You don't understand." Lao, incredibly, seemed to calm down at Jun's prod. He drew a breath, folding his hands together, as if he were trying a last, cursory diplomatic measure before simply pulling a sword to end the discussion. "As things stand now, you won't make it to Ba Sing Se. Not in one piece, anyway."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a warning. There's entire platoons of Fire Nation soldiers out there who still don't know about the war's end, and with all the folks traveling to Ba Sing Se for the celebrations, it's open season for every thief, bandit, and vagabond in the Earth Kingdom. Now, if you hand Jojo over now, I'll offer suitable compensation for your trouble."

"And what's _suitable compensation?"_

"A few gold pieces."

Jun tugged on Nyla's reins, and whipped them; Nyla reared up on her hind legs, before her paws thundered down onto the ground, merely a pace away from Lao's guards. "I think I'll take my chances with the soldiers and thieves, old man."

* * *

><p><em>"I can assume by the...troubled look across your face that you have failed to appease our summer flower. Shall we move into the next phase, then?"<em>

_ "Yes, that would be the best move. Of course, we'll have to wait until she crosses into Tsu-San to act, until we're within our rights. I don't want to start a provincial dispute over the matter."_

_ "You should've just grabbed the girl then and there!"_

_ "Again, I would be violating provincial protocol by doing that."_

_ "Wasn't much of an issue when you were waving that paper in front of the bounty hunter's face, was it?"_

_ "There wasn't much else I could do to solve the issue diplomatically. Listen, she'll most likely be heading into Tsu-San tomorrow, up the Wu Shang, meaning she'll pass through Sheong by midday, two days from now at the fastest. I'll leave the capture point up to your discretion, but please, try to keep the locket in one piece."_

* * *

><p>Nothing reminded Jojo of the good ol' days better than the gentle crackling of a campfire. When surrounded by pitch-black darkness, the flames were Jojo's only friend. She'd spent many nights with sticks, rocks, and flames as her only company, and bedded down with spiders, snakes, and all the scary, creepy crawlies of the forest. Of course, Jojo didn't have to worry about the bandits now, at the cost of being captured by the Earth Kingdom government, and shipped off to Ba Sing Se to await trail. Win some, lose some.<p>

They'd settled on a sandy, lowly bank of the Wu Shang; cliffs rose around them, curving around a small inlet dotted with bushes and shrubbery. Wasn't really much to do, but, for some reason, Jojo felt secure. The giant cushion Jojo had her back against, which was lashing its tongue towards the lightning bugs hovering around its face, might have had something to do with it; however, the place had a natural calmness to it. The smooth flow of the Wu Shang over rocks jutting from the river's floor made a soothing babble, while the water cooled the natural heat of the Brim and the Si Wong. It was...pleasant.

Now, all Jojo had to concern herself with was breaking loose from Junie. Shouldn't be too much trouble, she figured; if she could escape, then she'd be back in Ba Sing Se in two days, tops. Sung Li wouldn't be too happy about her tardiness, but she'd have at least one of Lao's possessions, at least.

"Alright," Junie plopped down on the opposite end of the campfire, holding a bundle of sticks in one hand, and a bushel of squirrel-rats in the other. Jojo's stomach turned. "you've got a choice between squirrel-rats and squirrel-rats."

"That's not much of a choice."

"Sure it is. You can have 'em stewed, barbecued, even raw if you don't mind being sick for a couple days. "

Jojo stuck her tongue out. "I'd rather starve."

"Have it your way." Lifting her arm, Junie twirled the squirrel-rats by their tails. "Nyla, here girl ― "

"Fine! I'll take the stupid squirrel-rats." Jojo looked over towards Junie's side, spying a container poorly wrapped in blue cloth. "Wait, what're you having?"

"Lamb-chicken noodles."

"That's not fair! Why do you get _actual _food while I'm stuck with...with ― " Jojo jutted her index towards the rats. "_those!_"

"Because I didn't commit a string of robberies across the Earth Kingdom," Junie said. "speaking of, what possessed you to steal from the Bei Fong estate?"

"What's it mean to you?"

"Well, considering that Lao Bei Fong came down to the Si Wong's edge over it, quite a bit."

Robberies at the Bei Fong estate were rare, but not unheard of. Some thieves thought of the estate as a the caper to end all capers. Pull one over on the Bei Fongs, and you'd become legendary; nothing short of the Earth King's palace could stop a burgler of such caliber. Personally, Jojo could think of harder places to break into ― the Tongs, Camel's Back, and the World's End ― and, to her knowledge, there were quite a number of thieves who'd stolen from the Bei Fongs and gotten away from with it.

Jojo never would've expected Lao to react the way he did, though; all over one little locket. Sure, Poppy was supposed to be rather fond of it, but damn. "It was just for fun, I guess."

"For fun." Junie shrugged, taking four sticks with y-shaped grooves on top, and staking them onto opposite sides of the fire. "Well, whatever you did, it must've rattled ol' Lao pretty good."

"I didn't do much other than stealing some of Poppy's jewelry," Jojo eyed the stakes, watching them wobble and sway as Junie laid sticks on top of them. "and I have might have ― those stakes will stay up better if turn them inwards, Junie ― anyway, I might have knocked out some of his guards too, but I wouldn't think any of that would be too terribly serious."

Not quite grasping Jojo's instructions, Junie leaned two of the stakes towards each other; they stayed up for a moment, then collapsed into the flames. Jojo tried holding back her laughter, and failed miserably. "You don't camp out much, do you?"

"I do, I just don't usually cook." Junie pulled the stakes out of the flames, finding the ends singed, but still usable. "I'd stop laughing if I were you. It's your dinner. And didn't I tell you to stop calling me _Junie?_"

"Sorry, couldn't help it." Jojo gestured towards her bindings, contorting her face into the most pitiful puppy-cat smile that she could muster. "And I could set those stakes up for you, it's just...well, these chains."

"Nice try."

And now, for the main thrust. Jojo scooted close to the fire, working a gentle smile across her lips. "So, what _would _it take for you to take these chains off of me."

"Jojo, I _can't _take them off. _Can't._"

"Oh come off it. It's Earth Kingdom law for all bounty hunters to carry keys or some kind of release mechanism for their prisoners with the official Earth Kingdom seal on them. And by the way, you guys weren't too subtle with the whole key pass-off."

Junie raised an eyebrow. "You steal some law books or something?"

"I'm a career criminal, sweetie," Jojo said, smiling. "I have to know my rights."

"Well, unless we happen to be in life-threatening danger anytime soon, I wouldn't count on getting loose."

"Junie, _seriously_, you've gotta let me slide. I've got places to be, people to talk to."

"It's not open for negotiation, Jojo." Junie studied Jojo closely, warily. "Who'd be willing to talk to you, anyway...unless you've got something to show them?"

"Maybe I've got a few boyfriends scattered about who've been dying to see me."

"I don't doubt it," Junie said, still watching Jojo's face for signs of hesistation.

Jojo sighed. "We're all entitled to our secrets, Junie. My business is my business, and as long as it's not endangering your mission, it's going to stay my business." She leaned forward, grinning. "Tell you what, if you unlock these restraints, I'll tell all. You might even earn a few gold pieces in the process."

"I'm earning a _couple hundred_ gold pieces for transporting you, guaranteed. I think I'll pass."

"You're _so mean_, Junie!"

Dinner was completely disgusting, as Jojo expected. While Junie sat on the other side of the fire, chowing down on her lamb-chicken noodles, Jojo was biting into burnt, nasty squirrel-rat meat. While Junie was lovely to look at, she was seriously considering not getting captured by a woman again. Jojo usually seduced the better food out of her captors, but Junie...she had the libido of an eunuch. Most men, Jojo could've seduced them into feeding her noodles in a few minutes, tops.

It saddened Jojo a bit. Her thoughts of Junie and herself sharing a wild night of passion were crashing down around her, all because Junie liked being a sourpuss. But Junie had loosened Jojo's restraints enough for her to eat her cruddy squirrel-rats with some degree of comfort. Well, she'd only cut the rope off of her restraints, locked them around her stomach, and slackened them a bit. Still, it was _something. _

Jojo figured she could escape now. Feasibly. Her arms were loosened enough to earthbend, but, not for anything precise. Besides, Nyla would just lash her across the neck somewhere after ten paces, but it was a start. Sung Li would've laughed at her for not figuring a way out. She'd giggled with that high, girly laugh of hers and, slowly, explain a solution to Jojo that even her tiny, underdeveloped brain could understand. Damn. Leagues and weeks of seperation from each other, and Jojo's hatred for that woman still hadn't subsided. Jojo supposed the hate would be better spent on herself, though; after all the stuff Jojo'd gone through with Sung Li, she was the idiot who was still stuck under her heel.

Junie didn't talk too much after dinner. Jojo knew Junie just wanted to grab her square and ride off into the sunset, but a little interaction would have been nice. She almost wanted to stick around, if only to unravel the puzzle that was Junie's mind. Kind of like those girls who went after the men with all the scars, the ones that can't sit through a dinner without snapping at someone or hurling dinnerware into the next province. Jojo was _way _past that stage with men, but with Junie...this presented an entirely new opportunity. She wouldn't be like Sung Li, with smiles on the out and sulfer on the in.

* * *

><p><em>"Hold up, Bau. What the hell's that supposed to mean?"<em>

_ She gave a weak shrug. "Jojo's got a lot of connections, Jun. Some of 'em want her dead, some of 'em don't want to see her face the Royal Court. A few of 'em want her dead because of the stories she's like to tell the Court about them. If I read you the list of crimes she's pulled off and the people they've involved, we'd be here till sun-up."_

_ "And you're saying there's a possibility of those people coming after me?"_

_ "With all the people she's tangled up with, it's more of a certainty."_

_ Jun pressed her fist against the side of her face, sighing. "Why'd I take this job?"_

_ "There was a reason your last bounty statement instructed you to turn him in here. Like I said, you're one of the best, Jun. I needed her transported, and I couldn't just give a job like this out to anybody."_

_ Classic Bau. Made the job seem simple enough on the outside, but didn't bother with the important, game-changing details until afterwards. "You sure generate a lot of pull for a receptionist, Bau." _

_ Again, she shrugged. "Jojo's not the only one with connections."_

* * *

><p>Sheong was a small, tranquil town around a half-day's ride from Ba Sing Se. Mostly of wealthy nobles who conducted business in Ba Sing Se, but couldn't stand living there for various reasons. Oddly enough, all of those reasons seemed to converge whenever the topic of the Dai Li came up. Figures. A fair number of Sheong nobles had ― or used to have ― side income from selling resources to Fire Kingdom troops.<p>

Most folks didn't bother taking the Wu Shang trail up to Sheong. Bandits and rogues lurked in-between the trees, ragged knives and pitchforks at the ready, waiting for unsuspecting victims to ambush. They usually didn't bother Jun, but with a prisoner tied to Nyla's back, Jun figured a few of them might try to get lucky. Maybe. Still, Jun wasn't worried about them enough to pass up a good shortcut. Riding through along the river would cut off precious hours of riding time, and the faster Jun got her money, the better.

At full ride, the journey to Sheong would take around a day. Unfortunately, Jun couldn't risk traveling too fast with a prisoner in tow, especially one as slippery as Jojo. The extra weight would put too much strain on Nyla. And besides, one bump in the road could knock Jojo right off Nyla's back, and Jun wanted to keep as much room between Jojo and the earth as possible. It was unfortunate; right now, a little speed would've been a lifesaver.

Jun was being followed.

She'd first noticed them around noon; two men riding on ostrich-horses. Ordinarily, Nyla would've left these amateurs tracking her dust, but with Jojo on board...it just wasn't worth it. These trackers were betting on Jun's line of thinking, she figured, and they'd take full advantage of it.

Nyla ran across the riverside path at a leisurely pace, kicking up dust and sediment in her wake. The trackers kept their distance, watching, waiting to make their move. Wind brushed against Jun's face, her hair billowing out behind her, probably smacking Jojo in the face. Broad-leafed trees draped over the left side, thin fingers of sunlight filtering through weaving branches.

The trail snaked, wormed, and twisted, following the vicious curves of the Wu Shang. Nyla had to skid to a stop to catch some of the sharper corners. Jun snapped her head back, spying two silhouettes, both keeping a steady pace.

If Jun lost these trackers, then her and Jojo were going to have a nice, long talk. Damn girl. Stealing from the Bei Fongs _for fun?_ Nipping from their stores was one desperate act away from walking the Serpent's Pass. No one stole from the Bei Fongs, or from anyone in Gaoling for that matter, unless they didn't have any other choice. Lies hardly hurt Jun's feelings, but when they interfered with business, it was another story entirely.

"Junie," Another benefit of riding to Sheong: the air kept Jojo's mouth shut. Mostly. "can't we take a break? My butt is getting sore."

"Unless you like the taste of flies, I wouldn't suggest talking."

_"C'mooon. _Let's set down here for the night. I'll be a good girl, I promise."

"We won't be settling down anytime soon," Jun said. "We've got company. And by the way, your business is officially endangering my business. If you've got anything to fess up, I suggest you talk, or Nyla's gonna be _dragging _you to Sheong."

"It's probably just a coincidence. _Juuuunie_, c'mon, I'm getting really ― " Jun heard a sudden _gulp, _followed by hacking and wheezing. "_Euyuck!"_

"I told you." Jun examined the road as Jojo coughed the swallowed bug out of her windpipe. "Feel like talking yet?"

"Not particularly."

Ahead, the path dipped into a small, dry canyon, walls of sheer rock rising on the sides. Jun didn't particularly like the idea of riding through them with Jojo on board, especially with the addition of two folks who could, possibly, be earthbenders trailing behind her. But she'd press her luck today. Otherwise, she'd either have to find another path, or take her chances with the bandits and beasts hidden within the trees.

Whatever. Jun just wanted her money, and quick.

Nyla skidded into the canyon, her claws raking the ground in an effort to keep her balance. "Easy, girl," Jun said, stroking her in-between the ears to calm her down. Nyla hated running down sharp inclines; Jun figured the Shirshu must have a fear of heights or ―

A sharp_, slicing _sound rattled through Jun's ears; she drove her heels into Nyla's sides, and turned, finding nothing but Jojo's ropes streaming behind Nyla, and farther back, two sharp spears of earth jutting from the cliffside. Nyla slid; her left paw caught on something, and she flipped. Jun jumped. Her shoulder kissed the ground, and she rolled; she swung her feet in front of her, digging her heels into the ground. Slowly, but surely, she came to a stop.

Ignoring the ache in her legs, Jun lifted herself to her feet, and ran towards Nyla. A shallow, but wide swath of loosened rock and sediment lead towards the bottom of the canyon, where the Shirshu laid in a dried riverbed, shaking dirt from her fur as she rose to her feet.

And then she heard footsteps. Heavy, loud footsteps.

"I believe you've taken something of mine."


	4. Undercurrent III

_a/n: i can't think of anything pressing or important to type here, which makes this kind of pointless, i guess. anyway, enjoy. oh, wait, i know what now. i was gonna talk about how ungrammatical 'this one' sounds in past tense. it just sounds better than 'that one'. or maybe 'this one' is perfectly fine. iunno, if it isn't then just consider it a name i guess, like "Lee" or "Song" or something. i should probably consult a style guide or something. i'm thinking it's fine though.  
><em>

_anyway, still enjoy  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>Moment of Truth<strong>

_Undercurrent III_

* * *

><p>Jojo would've given anything to be a waterbender right now.<p>

She ran alongside the Wu Shang, searching for a way across. Options. Options. She spied a ferry across the way, a enlongated figure around the size of her hand. The water was still too deep for her to try to bend a bridge up, though; elsewise, she could just hijack it and ride down towards Chameleon Bay. Options. Options. Uprooting one of the trees from the forest on her left might've worked, if not for the rapids a couple miles downstream. There was no way she'd get out of that alive.

Her breath pounded against the insides of her chest as she escaped, getting heavier and heavier with each step; her bare feet ached as they pounded against the ground. Scavenging in Ba Sing Se had leathered Jojo's feet some, but there was a world of difference between streets and stones. Options. Options. She snapped her head around; a figure was following her from atop an ostrich-horse, and, by the looks of it, gaining fast. The outcome wasn't looking good for her.

But Jojo knew a thing or two about unfair odds.

_"You're a curious little urchin," Sung-Li said. "I've never seen a person in such a rush to get themselves killed.." She gestured towards herself. "Come. Let me teach you a thing or two before you someone finds you face down in an alley somewhere. _

Jojo skirted into the thick of the forest, where there were roots, rocks, and ragged branches aplenty. Her feet would take a beating, but, more importantly, so would the ostrich horse's.

_"If you're being chased, the last thing I would do is run right down the middle of a street. Why run in a straight line when the city gives you so many nice corners and curves to take advantage of?"_

Slinking around trees and dodging stray branches, Jojo stumbled through the underbrush, pushing small stumbling blocks up from the ground with quick, upwards thrusts of her wrist. Vines and underbrush obscured the path ahead, enough that, if Jojo was about to run straight into an oncoming ravine, she'd hardly know it. She could hear the ostrich horse wail in the distance as it struggled to keep up, no doubt stubbing its talons against roots and rocks. A symphony of snapping sticks rang out from the forest, and, judging by the sudden harsh wail and deafening _crack _behind Jojo, of broken branches and beaks.

And then, silence. Jojo couldn't hear anything other than her own footsteps. That worried her. It could've meant that her pursuer had simply given up and gone home, but Jojo knew better than that. Events in her life hadn't ever ended so smoothly.

Sharp _cracks _echoed throughout the forest; far louder and more numerous than an ostrich horse should've been capable of. What the hell was he doing? Jojo, for a moment, thought she was being chased by a rampaging mooselion rather than a person. Options. Options. Jojo couldn't drudge anything up but panic. Options. Options. Options.

_"Intimidation is your enemy's most important weapon. You'll find that panic and despair can drop even the most skilled foe to his knees." Sung-Li smiled. "Of course, you'd have a hard time intimidating an infant, so we'll focus on being on the receiving end."_

Jojo stopped. She focused her thoughts, and took deep, long breaths.

_"We'll need to find your center. Now, think of your center as a sturdy, safe rock in the middle of churning sea. It's something that, no matter what, you'll know it'll always be there."_

Happiness; Peace; Tranquility. Jojo took another breath, and said, under her breath, "Quin."

_Sung-Li smiled. "Figures."_

As her thoughts settled, Jojo quickly worked out a plan. There wasn't any use running; the least Jojo could do was turn her surrondings to her advantage. She dug her toes in the ground, dropped to her knees, locked her fingers, and lifted her entire body up; her hands reaching up towards the sky. A pillar of earth rose from beneath her feet, lifting her up past branches, leaves, and, jjust a smidge above the canopy of the forest.

She sat down, rubbing her chin as she watched birds scatter and trees sway from...whoever or _whatever_ was coming her way. Jojo still hadn't figured that part out yet. But, she was certain of one thing: whoever it was wanted her alive, or she would've been dead a long while ago. She closed her eyes, notching the final nails into her plan.

_"If you can't outperform your opponent, outthink them. Let them think that they have the upper hand, and then swipe the floor out from under them."_

She knew she couldn't outperform him; even without her hands cuffed, she'd end up fighting a losing battle. Options. Options.

"I regret to inform you of this, but I believe you have been caught."

Jojo's eyes popped open. A lanky, old man stood before her, arms folded; a greying beard rolling past his waist, while his hair ran down the length of his back. Beneath his feet was another earthen pillar, rising up slightly higher than Jojo's. She scowled. Arrogant bastard. Why'd he feel the need to belittle her even more?

"You're looking for this, right?" Jojo asked, letting her topknot fall away with a yank of its binding; a green ribbon. As she unwrapped the ribbon, a mess of small, linked chains fell into her hand, topped with a large, golden flame tinged with rust. It was the only item of value she had left; Jojo figured they must've wanted it back. "What's to happen to me, if I hand this over to you?"

"Officially, I'll be forced to hand you over to the Bei Fong household. Mister Bei Fong has not informed me of what will happen afterwards, though I assure you that you won't be harmed." He smiled, holding his hand out. "I see you're going by Joi now, child."

"What do you _going by_? That's always been my name."

"Are you certain? I could've sworn that your parents wrote a different name on my school roster." He chuckled. "But, then, they're what it's always been about. Am I correct?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"If you say so, child."

"And stop calling me _child. _I'm grown now."

The man arched an eyebrow as he looked Jojo up and down. "I'm afraid I can't see it, child."

_ "And, some advice for you in particular," Sung-Li said. "you seem to care a great deal about what others think of you. Don't. The strong can easily spot a shiveling weakling such as yourself, and they'll delight in telling you just what an insignificance to the human race you are. As sensitive as you are, they won't even need to lift a finger to beat you into submission."_

Jojo took a deep breath.

_"Ignore it. Surprise them. Keep your wits about you, of course, but do something that, in their over-confidence, they wouldn't even be able to consider."_

And then she fell backwards off the pillar, plunging into the canopy below.

* * *

><p><em>"My Lady, you've been up for quite a while. Do you wish to retire?"<em>

_ She'd been staring outside of her window for a while now. Perhaps she wasn't pleased with her quarters. The Lady, of course, deserved to have the best of everything. This one felt utterly ashamed at the mere thought of having caused her Lady's displeasure, and this shoddy, unrefined cabin was certainly the cause of it. It was this town's fault. They should've kept inns open suitable for people of the Lady's stature. The Lady wasn't one of these Earth Kingdom street urchins, she was the epitome of everything right and just in the world, a mere stepping stone from perfection. She deserved to have proper living quarters. _

_ And the people responsible for this blemish on the Lady's road to success? They deserved nothing less than eternal torture. This one would see to that. _

_ "Not yet." the Lady said, not turning her gaze away from the window. This one supposed that, whatever it was, it was worth more of the Lady's attention than her. No harm done. "I always feel like I'm waiting for...for someone to walk down this street. Someone that I haven't seen in a while. It's odd. I know I have more important things to do, but...the moment I turn my head away, that person could walk down this very street. And I might never see that person again."_

_ "Is this person causing harm to my Lady?" This one wrapped her hand around her saber, smiling._

"_This one will be more than happy to take care of the problem." _

_ .The Lady seemed displeased, and, a little startled by this one's words. "That's not necessary." Her eyes switched back to the window. "The person I'm referring to, she's probably already dead anyway." She smiled at the window. "Isn't that right?"_

* * *

><p>"Hell no." Jun must've had a knack for getting herself into bad situations. But, at the very least, they were always interesting. "She's <em>my <em>bounty. _Mine. _If Lao wants her, then he can dig up three hundred gold pieces from his coffers and deliver them to me."

The knife-edged rocks creeped closer. Four of them, jutting up from the ground, all of them whittled to a single, fine point, placed on opposite sides of her neck. One wrong move, and Jun's blood would spill. Her captor circled her slowly; he was in quite the situation himself, as Nyla circled _him, _licking her lips, waiting for the right moment to strike. Jun kept her eyes on Nyla, telling her, _keep calm, girl, keep calm. One wrong move and you'll have to live off of wild platypus-bears and gopher-lions for the rest of your life. _

"Lao offered you compensation," he said. An ugly man, really. Guy had more muscles than he knew what to do with. "You turned him down, so stuck with running damage control." He snapped his head closer. "I'll ask one more time. _Where's. The. Girl?"_

"The hell if I know. Kinda figured your associate would be handling that problem."

"Then you could've worked out a plan with her. I'm sure the both of you had some meeting spot in mind, you know, for when this little situation blowed over."

Jun rolled her eyes. "And what's stopping her from just ditching me, genius? Did you think about that?"

"And why would she ditch her own accomplice? You've heard about her sense of direction. The only way she'd only bump into Ba Sing Se is if she thought she was heading straight for the Fire Nation."

"Accomplice?" There wasn't any use talking to this idiot. Shame. If this in-bred's parents hadn't tossed him off the wagon at an early age, she might've had a chance at making it out. "Look, despite..._whatever _you think I am to Jojo, just tell Lao to give me three hundred squares. Do that, and me and Nyla will deliver her to you personally. You can even ride along if you wash off in the river first. Real easy, isn't it?"

"In Lao's eyes, you," he jutted his thumb over his shoulder, towards Nyla. "this slobbering furpile, and anything you happen to have on you wouldn't even be worth half that." He stepped closer. "My patience runs low, girl. I want to know where the girl is, what's she's after, and anything else she might have told you. _Now._"

"I don't know, I don't know, and she hasn't done anything beside flirt and try to escape this whole trip." She smiled; a special crooked, jagged smile made especially for him. "This isn't the first time I've been in a life-threatening situation, sport. You'll have to come up with more than a few pointy rocks and that spittle you're flinging."

"And you're not afraid of dying where you stand?"

"I'm a bounty hunter," Jun said, pointing to the scrunchie keeping her hair pinned. "there ain't a time when death isn't staring me in the face."

She nodded towards Nyla. "Now, you, you're really in a bad spot. Kill me, and Nyla's gonna be munching on your bones tonight. Let me go, and Nyla's still gonna be munching on your bones. The difference? I'll probably kick you around for a little while before I hand you off to 'er. For wasting my time."

For a small, split second, his eyes shot wide as saucers; Jun made her move. "Of course, you've realized it all along, haven't you. All that sweat ain't just from the weather, is it? You're screwed. No way outta this one, big man." Her smile widened into a haggard grin. "But you're in luck today, Muscles. Let me go now, and I'll _probably _be able to convince Nyla not to kill you. _Probably._"

The man didn't move, most likely throwing those two rocks in his brain together, hoping for a spark. "While you're thinking," Jun said. "I wanna know a few things. First and foremost, why's Lao extending this much effort into getting Jojo back?"

"Because she stole Poppy's most favorite necklace."

"Funny. Now really, why?"

"I don't have a damn clue, girl," he said, shrugging. "he doesn't tell us anything more than we need to know. _Find and capture this girl. Don't hurt her. Get the locket. _It's not like -"

"Wait, back up. _What _locket?"

He smiled. "I wasn't kidding when I said she stole Poppy's favorite necklace. Dunno why he really wants it, though."

Nodding, Jun folded her arms. "Yeah, I believe you. Don't see why he'd tell his deepest darks to a piece of dumb muscle like yourself." She'd found out about this locket, at least. Once she re-aquired Jojo, the both of them were gonna have a nice, long conversation about it. Jun didn't particularly like bounties with baggage included. "So, you gonna let me go, or just stand there and sweat yourself to death?"

Scowling, he planted his feet in the ground, brought the tips of his fingers togethers, palms flat, and, sharply, pressed his hands towards the ground. And, not a second after the spikes retreated did Nyla's tongue lash across his neck, his pupils widening as his body stiffened like a scholar in a whorehouse. Jun walked towards him. "_Or_, you could've stalled for time until your buddy got back," she said as she whipped point of her boot across his face, knocking him to the ground. "but, you know, your choice."

* * *

><p><em>"What's up, Lee?"<em>

_ "What's it look like?" Zuli asked the stupidest questions sometimes. She was cute as a button, quicker as a whip one second, and, bafflingly, slow as a turtle-snail the next. Confusing. "I'm sending the notice to the Fire Lord."_

_ "You already sent one, didn't you?"_

_ "Yeah, like a month ago." He slotted the letter into the hawk's pouch. "Something must've snatched the damn bird."_

_ "Or, he's just been really busy and hasn't gotten around to reading it."_

_ Lee considered the point for a moment. "Possibly. It's not like anyone's going to open the Fire Lord's personally-addressed mail. You'd think he'd get around to reading a letter with "URGENT" stamped all over it, though. Especially one as important as this one." He shrugged. "Whatever. Head Consoler's orders."_

_ "Lee, half the letters sent to the Fire Lord have "URGENT" stamped all over them. If you try to make all of them try to stand out, none of them do." She cocked an eyebrow as Lee reached back into the hawk's pouch with one hand, and grabbed an ink quill with the other. "What're you doing?"_

_ "Just making a few edits." His eyes squinted as he wrote. "URGENT. Seriously, read this letter right now, Your Grace. It's really important."_

_ "You can't do that!"_

_ "Well, it's done." Lee dropped the letter back into the pouch, and gave the bird a push. It squawked as it flew from the balcony, making a long, smooth arc towards the ocean. "So, you were the first one to notice, right Zuli?" _

_ "Yeah. What of it?"_

_ "I was just wondering. You know, what it felt like being the first to know." Lee chuckled. "Damn. I'll never forget the look on the Head Consoler's face when I told him that Princess Azula escaped."_

* * *

><p>Yeah, on paper, it sounded like a wonderful idea. Fading into the background. Escaping, even. No more Ba Sing Se; a fresh start. No more crowded streets, no more pushy Earth Kingdom guards constantly grabbing at her ass, and, most importantly, <em>no more Sung-Li. <em>She'd stake a claim in some far-off village, snatch up a husband, birth some children, and die a happy, wrinkled old grandmother. Her parents? Most like, they wouldn't even care enough to search for her. She wouldn't have to steal for food; camp out in the woods after being kicked out of the rattiest, dirtiest inn in town; or act like a half-assed prostitute to get what she wanted. Opium? She'd move somewhere so far away that they folks there wouldn't even know the word.

It was never _that _easy. The past had an annoying, erking little way of catching up with you. If Jojo didn't know anything else, she knew that.

Moments such as this were rare for Jojo. Quiet, still moments of reflection where she could think without the chatter of people talking, or yelling at her, or taking advantage of her. Who knew she'd have to bury herself under the dirt for it? She kept her hands steady against her heart, trying to steady its pounding beat. Experienced earthbenders could feel out the rhythm of the earth, and whatever happened to be under it. They felt the vibrations beneath it, became so in-tune with it that they were practically one. She'd heard a story of one earthbender, a blind one. She could fight with the vibrations she felt from the ground, better than any earthbender. Oddly enough, she was rumored to be Lao Bei Fong's daughter. Go figure.

Quiet. Jojo couldn't remember the last time her life was so. When she was a kid, maybe, but then she was being pushed to the Hei Lin's for haiku readings, to Miss Tsu's Gymnasium for dancing lessons, to Firelight Fountain in the Lower Ring for shamisan recitals from the old guy with the lisp, and to all points in-between. Sung-Li? She wasn't any better. Busting into the houses of any noblemen who owed her money, to frisk shop-owners who hadn't paid protection money, and then, Jojo high-tailed it back home to take another one of her mom's necklaces; another drop in the bucket that comprised her own debts.

Daughters. Jojo wanted to have a home full of happy, smiling little girls whenever she paid Sung-Li off, which, considering that she had a very, _very _narrow chance of escaping now, seemed like no more than a dream passing over the horizon. If Junie captured her, she'd be facing the Royal Court, and, most likely, a lifetime of imprisonment. And that was if Sung-Li didn't sneak someone into the internment camp to kill her. If Lao caught her...well, she didn't know. Could be better, could be worse. Probably worse. Men. That's why Jojo wanted daughters. And one boy. Definitely one boy.

So, even if Jojo made it back into the city, _without being captured, _she'd still have Sung-Li to face. Damn. Why'd she want her to steal from the Bei Fong's anyway? She could've easily robbed some nobles and gotten the same amount. And Sung-Li didn't even wanted anything specific. Just...rob the Bei Fong's. Weird. Women were so cryptic. Scratch the daughters. She wanted boys. A house full of screaming, mud-splattered boys. And maybe one daughter. No, wait. She'd have to have daughters, because she planned on naming one Quin, and she'd end up giving Quin more love than the rest. No, wait, that wouldn't work either. Whatever. It probably wouldn't happen anyway. Jojo figured she didn't even deserved children. She didn't even deserve this miserable, run-down life she had. There simply wasn't room for people like her.

And, really, in this new, war-free world, Jojo figured there weren't room for folks like Sung-Li either. Or Junie. Or anyone out else out on the sidelines. Only the heroes made a difference, really. The important people. Avatar Aang, the youngest incarnation to ever save the world; the Traitor Prince, who beat his sister to reclaim the throne. You know, the good guys. Jojo wanted to be one of those people. She wanted to save the day; even now, when she was clearly beyond saving herself, even if she'd be doing the world a favor by fading into the distance.

She felt footsteps. Lots of them. Someone was speaking, but Jojo couldn't discern their muffled words through the few feet of earth piled on top of her. Then, she felt digging. It wasn't human, more like claws, a rapidly digging, wild animal. Nyla, most likely. Jojo pressed her hands against the roof of her little cave, and pushed up, clearing a path up towards the surface. Sunlight kissed her face.

A familiar, wet nose poked through the hole. Nyla's tongue lashed out wildly, but, somehow, was strangely controlled. She heard a voice, but no face. "Now, I've heard of digging your own grave," Junie walked up beside the hole, her lips cocked into a smile. "but I've never seen the phrase take to someone quite like it does to you, Jojo."

"It's a habit, Junie."

"Clearly," Junie said. "Get up. We need to talk."

* * *

><p><em>"...so, that's what it all comes down to with you kids, is it? So be it. Sit down, girl. I'm going to tell you a little story."<em>

* * *

><p>"So, what's the deal with this locket?"<p>

Nyla walked along the river's edge at a relaxed pace. Jun couldn't ask too much more of the Shirshu after a day like today, and besides, it wasn't like those two rockheads were going anywhere. They wouldn't die, not of the Shirshu venom, at least, but they'd have some lingering stiffness and fatigue once the initial effects wore off. The old man hadn't even registered Nyla's presence until her tongue whipped against his neck. Good thing, too. If he'd been a little faster, and about thirty paces closer, he might've made off with Jojo.

Jojo rode with her arms wrapped around Jun's waist. Jun didn't particularly care for it, _especially _considering that it was Jojo, but there really wasn't much choice. She'd lose her balance fall off if her restraints were still on; besides, Jojo's entire backside was dotted with bruises and abrasions, a side-effect of her escape from 'Master Yu', she said. The way Jojo limped over to Nyla, Jun couldn't say that she was lying, or faking, for that matter. And she'd seen enough phoney limps over the years to know.

Though, Jojo did appear to have a phoney hearing problem at the moment. "You hear me?" Jun asked. "The locket. The deal. What is."

"What?" Jojo took an arm off Jun's waist; out of the corner of her eye, Jun saw her rustling through her hair, before pulling a sparkling, golden locket from it, with a very distinctive flame engraved into it. "This? I just took it because it looked valuable, Junie. Thought it might sell good in Ba Sing Se."

"Yeah, you got that right. That's the Fire Nation's royal emblem plastered on the front of it." The Powdy Prince had been good for something, at least. "You'd have been set for a nice, long while if you found the right buyer. Did you open it yet?"

"Open it?"

"Yes, lockets do usually open, Jojo."

Jojo stuck her tongue out at Jun, then started tugging on the seperate pieces of the locket, to no avail. Jun dug her heels into Nyla's side, bringing her to a stop. "Hand it over."

Under Jun's grip, the locket popped open easily. A folded-up note was inside, and, when Jun plucked it out, she the portraits of two happy, smiling children in the other, a boy and a girl. The boy...he looked strangely familiar; the smile was throwing her off, "Jojo," Jun said, the pieces finally coming together in her mind. "this is _Prince Zuko _in this one portrait here. And the girl must be Princess Azula."

Jun opened the note, finding a letter written in Fire Nation script. The same basic language was used in the Earth Kingdoms, but the symbols were _just _different enough to throw Jun off; she could make out about one word in five. "I can hardly read this."

"Let me see," Jojo snatched the letter, reading it over carefully. When Jun saw Jojo's jaw drop, well, it was pretty much confirmed. They were officially knee-deep in some deep shit. "It's a letter, from Princess Ursa."

"Princess _who?_"

"Ursa, Fire Lord Ozai's wife." She started reading through it again. _"My son, if you ever happen to read this, know that all I've done this night, I've done for you...My daughter, if you ever happen to be reading this, I want to apologize. Most likely, I wasn't there for you as much as I should have been...I promise not to lose myself either, I will always be there for the both of you...I will live, in hopes that, one day, I'll be able to see you again...signed, the traitor Princess Ursa, daughter of Izion and Alla, betrayer of the throne, and lordslayer."_

Jun watched Jojo, sizing her up. "Now, where's a common thief learn Fire Nation script from? And, more importantly, how does she know it and _not _know the Fire Nation's royal emblem?"

"Just picked it up along the way.," Jojo said. "and I never said I didn't notice it, you just assumed I didn't." She turned the letter over. "There's a note on the back._..there once was a girl who thought herself a dragon; a boy who held the whole world in his arms, but couldn't see it; a man who threw his heart away because he couldn't bear having it broken; and a woman who had a lost her place in the world...and then she said, 'We'll see each other again, at the place where all roads meet.'_" Jojo hummed. "Seems like there's a part missing."

Smacking the palm of the hand into her forehead, Jun sighed, saying, "Why I did I take this job," over and over again._ Ooh, _the next time Jun saw Bau, _oooh, _it wasn't going to be pretty. _It_ being Bau's face.

"Don't worry, Junie," Jojo said. "You've got _me _now. Everything's going to work just fine."

"Yeah, for me, once I drop both you and this locket off at Sheong."

_"Junie!" _

* * *

><p>When Xin Fu came around, he quickly discovered that the rest of his body hadn't. But, more importantly, he found Yu sitting beside him; beaten, bruised, and battered. "Welcome back." One side of his lips moved, while the other drooped, as limp as the rest of Xin Fu's body. His right eye seemed normal enough, but his left twitched randomly. "It always pays to be prepared. I've got a workable antidote here if you're ready for it, but if you're just going to spit it up, I'd prefer that you waited. It's rather expensive."<p>

Xin Fu shook his head, as little as he could. His words rolled slow and pained off his tongue. "No...girl?"

"No girl," he said, frowning. "the bounty hunter's beast is quite the problem."

"No kidding." He sighed. "Damn...that Lao. Didn't even...bother to mention the damned thing, nor that it came with..._side effects. _And...you didn't either, old man."

"Shirshu venom is common among bounty hunters. I, for one, didn't expect an actual Shirshu." He pressed a tea cup to the working half of his lips. "If we go back to Lao, he will most likely send us back after her."

"So...what's the plan?"

"We will have to dispose of the beast, first and foremost. Handling the two women should be simple enough from that point. The bounty hunter cannot bend, and I have taught Jojo enough to know that she has no particular talent for it."

Xin Fu huffed. "How...do we keep getting into these...situations? The desert, and...that damned metal box. Ridiculous."

"Hardships are to be expected when dealing with folks as slippery as this. We will rectify the situation soon enough," Yu laid a hand on Xin Fu's shoulder. "but, for now we rest, old friend."


	5. Interlude: The Lost Girl

**Moment of Truth**

_Interlude: The Lost Girl_

* * *

><p><em> "So, what are you planning to do about Azula?"<em>

_ Zuko stopped, and looked towards Aang, dumbstruck; his knife halted half-way into his pork-ham steak. In a discussion with all of his friends about their post-war plans, it was the last question he expected to come up. Honestly, Zuko hadn't thought much about it. Between negotiations with Kuei and the Council, he hadn't had much time to think on it, at least, not further than locking her away for a good long while._

_ Sokka snorted. "I thought we'd decided on the 'locking the door and throwing away the key' option."_

_ "We didn't decide on that."_

_ "Aang, she's Azula. A-zu-la. The issue pretty much decided itself."_

_ Aang folded his arms. "It just doesn't seem right. I'm not saying that Azula doesn't deserve to be punished, but...she's still just a kid, like us."_

_ "A kid monster, maybe."_

_ On last check, Azula had been settling down, but she still wasn't anywhere close to 'normal'. Zuko hadn't received much of a response when he visited her, besides some incoherent rambling about Mom. Zuko couldn't stand the asylum for very long, as the mood was so stifling and suffocating that he'd be surprised if _anyone _had actually been cured there. Azula's room was particularly depressing. Her room was charred black, and her clothes weren't anymore than rags; Zuko offered to provide new ones, but the aides insisted that she'd just burn them again. _

_ She certainly didn't act like a normal girl her age, but then again, she never did. In truth, Zuko had always possessed one thing that Azula hadn't, and wouldn't, ever have: an actual childhood. Father had made sure of that. _

_ "Aang," Katara said. "I know it seems tough, but it's for the best. And besides, the War only just ended a month ago. Could you imagine what would happen if she escaped?"_

_ Sokka nodded. "Exactly. It's a little too early to be playing amateur psychologist with her." He patted Zuko on the back, nearly causing him to cough up the piece of steak he was chewing on. "Right, Zuko?"_

_ "Yeah. My sister wouldn't exactly appreciate the attention, believe me."_

_ Aang sighed, returning to his salad. Zuko couldn't help feeling bad for the kid, but perhaps it was for the best. After all, at some point, he'd have to learn that not all stories had happy endings. _

_ Azula's gloomy presence wasn't limited to her cell, it seemed. For a while, the only sounds at the dinner table were of knifes and chopsticks clanging against the table, the steady rhythm broken up by the occasional grunt or yawn. No one especially _liked _the idea of leaving Azula to rot in a cell; Zuko himself, despite everything Azula had done to him, even felt a little guilty about it. He could practically hear Uncle whispering into his ear: 'Zuko, you have to make peace with Azula. It's only right.'_

_ Easier said than done. _


End file.
